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LSU baseball: 2016 full preview

By Bailey Adams

Jun 18, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; LSU Tigers and TCU Horned Frogs compete in the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. TCU defeated LSU 8-4. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; LSU Tigers and TCU Horned Frogs compete in the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. TCU defeated LSU 8-4. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 8, 2013; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers take the field in the second inning as rainbow forms over the stadium against the Oklahoma Sooners during the Baton Rouge super regional of the 2013 NCAA baseball tournament at Alex Box Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports /

Around the SEC

The top of the SEC East will be a dogfight in 2016 as the Florida Gators and Vanderbilt Commodores lead the way.

The Gators surpassed expectations in 2015, putting up a 52-18 record on their way to a conference tournament championship and a deep run in the College World Series. Vanderbilt is the SEC East’s other frontrunner, coming off of back-to-back appearances in the College World Series Finals. The Commodores have built a dynasty in Nashville and it doesn’t appear that it will slow down any time soon.

Just a few years ago, it would’ve been unheard of to refer to South Carolina as a sleeper, but the Gamecocks have seemingly dropped a step behind the top dogs in the east. Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Georgia round out the east, though d1baseball.com projects Kentucky as a regional team by the time June rolls around.

Competition in the SEC West for the 2016 baseball season may rival the competition of the SEC West in football over the past few years. Right near the top of the pack with LSU is Texas A&M, who finished 2015 with a 50-14 record and returns a solid roster, including All-American Nick Banks.

The next tier of the west includes Arkansas, who made a run to Omaha in 2015 and Mississippi State, who is expected to be stronger in 2016. Ole Miss, Alabama and Auburn fit into the bottom tier of the west. All three finished 2015 with records above .500, but couldn’t get enough done in conference play to be serious contenders.

Next: What to expect

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